New Zealand did not put up much resistance against South Africa, but there was still a job to do and Dale Steyn performed it in some style

Firdose Moonda15-Jan-2013That Dale Steyn still deserves to be called the best bowler in the world was evident during New Zealand’s first innings in the Port Elizabeth Test. That he is still Graeme Smith’s go-to man was obvious as well.Steyn has been a priceless performer for many years, but with Test matches and series often rolling into each other there has not always been time to reflect on his achievements.In this series, Steyn claimed his 300th wicket in his 61st Test. At his current rate of five wickets a Test, he could become the joint-fastest seamer to 400 and 500 scalps and second fastest on the overall list, behind Muttiah Muralitharan.At St George’s Park, the same place that he made his debut, Steyn his took his 19th Test five-for to put him second on the list of South African five-wicket haulers, one behind Allan Donald. It speaks of his consistency to make breakthroughs and increase his intent when it is needed but also of his individual quest for success.Steyn clearly wants more, regarding this as just another milestone on the road of the “many more Tests,” he hopes to play. Ask him what the 19th haul means and he has a prudent way of comparing himself to another player in the South Africa XI whose hunger for achievement appears to know no bounds. “It means I am on level terms with Hashim Amla’s hundreds,” Steyn said.Amla and Steyn’s 19th both came in the same match and while Steyn continues to sit atop the bowling charts, Amla is not far behind in batting stakes. The latest ICC rankings have him in second position and he has the opportunity overtake Michael Clarke in the upcoming series against Pakistan.That would give South Africa the world’s best batsman and bowler to add to their status as the No.1 ranked Test side and it is that sort of unit Steyn is savouring being part of. “Everybody just plays their part in this team,” he said. Steyn’s part contributes heavily to South African success and he was willing to indulge in a few moments of self-reflection as he looked back on his proudest moments so far.Steyn could point out two five-fors which meant the most to him in his nine-year career. Interestingly, neither were at home or in helpful conditions.”There was one in the West Indies in 2010 in the first Test,” he remembered. “I was coming around the wicket and the ball was reversing. They had a couple of left handers and guys were leaving the ball and I got a few wickets. I thought to myself then I don’t think I couldn’t have bowled any better and everything just worked out perfectly.”Steyn’s 5 for 29 included four left handers: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Suliemen Benn and Ravi Rampaul. He made the crucial breakthrough when Chanderpaul was going about a repair job and then nipped out the tail with three wickets in two overs.

Sometimes you’re up for it, sometimes the body doesn’t quite agree. I’ve been fortunate that in this match the body has said yes. I was also able to make the ball swing and Vernon wasn’t so there was more for the takingDale Steyn on knowing when to push himself

“And then there was Nagpur where I got seven. Just getting somebody like Sachin Tendulkar… but also I got the ball to swing both ways that day on a really flat deck,” he said. That performance won Steyn ESPNcricinfo’s award for the best Test bowling performance of 2010. Again, he was hostile to the lower order and plucked five wickets in four overs to finish with 7 for 61.Even against New Zealand, Steyn went hard at their tail and seems to have made a habit of returning to sweep lower orders away quickly although he said it has not been intentional. “I try to run in and bowl quick every time and I don’t really pick and choose who to run in and bowl quick to, it just sort of happens.”Sometimes you’re up for it, sometimes the body doesn’t quite agree. I’ve been fortunate that in this match the body has said yes. I was also able to make the ball swing and Vernon wasn’t so there was more for the taking,” he joked. “But the back end batters; you’re not expecting them to go out there and score heaps of runs so it’s good to get over with fast.”Steyn also has the advantage of being able to bowl in short bursts with maximum effort while his team-mates do the donkey work. Over the years Graeme Smith has learnt how to read Steyn better and to bring him on when the angry eyes start flashing.”It’s about understanding him tactically,” Smith said. “Once the batsman shows him something and gives him a little opening, he has a wonderful ability to drive it home. When he is steaming in at 145kph and swinging it, it’s great to be in the slips and be a part of that. It’s not so great when we have to face him in the nets.”His aggression is what Smith said “lifts the whole team,” but what motivates Steyn himself? Knowing that he can meet the challenge of performing where it will be tough.”Those two five-fors that stand out most for me even though there have been big games like against Australia in Melbourne in 2008 when I picked up ten because those two were completely different,” he said. “Melbourne was always going to offer something like a little bit of bounce. But when you are playing in places like West Indies where there is not a lot of bounce and in India and subcontinent; it’s more memorable.”Those who appreciate the combination of swing and pace will hope there are many more memories to be made.

Dean Elgar was probably wondering why the step into Test cricket had proved so easy for Faf du Plessis. Now he has his own Test hundred at only the third time of asking

Firdose Moonda at St George's Park12-Jan-2013

How the century-makers saw it

Dean Elgar: “The message before tea was to hurry up because Graeme Smith wanted to declare so I tried to have a go. But when I got to tea, Graeme told me I had time to get my hundred and I am pretty grateful for that. It was a celebration of relief when it came and Rory Kleinveldt actually picked me up. My debut didn’t go to script so I am glad to have redeemed myself. I didn’t feel as though I was lagging behind Faf du Plessis in Australia – that was Faf’s tour. But now I have proved to myself that maybe there is something I have here.”
Faf du Plessis: “It’s nice to get my first hundred in South Africa. In Australia, it was a lot different because it was all about the team. This hundred was more about my own performance and it was nice to be able to go through that. With the top four we have, they give us consistency so the rest of us can just go in and play our game. It’s important, especially for the younger guys that we don’t always come in under pressure. There hasn’t been once when I come on and we are 10 for four or something.”

Test cricket should be tough for rookies. Even rookies who have cruised through seasons of domestic cricket, destroying all in their path. Even rookies who look as though they were born with an international shirt number embroidered on their soft baby skin. It should require fumbling, falling flat and making mistakes.Dean Elgar was probably given to wondering why it was all so easy for Faf du Plessis. Du Plessis was South Africa’s saviour on debut when he turned a potential Test defeat into a morale-boosting draw which led to a series win in Australia. Michael Clarke was officially named as man of the series, but Du Plessis’ team-mates triumphantly hailed him as their own choice.Crucially, du Plessis looked like he belonged. He had the temperament to make the step up. Under extreme pressure, du Plessis was able to defend tirelessly in Adelaide and attack cautiously in Perth. His start suggested that the changes he made to his game by moving up the order for his domestic franchise and turning down a T20 deal with Somerset to captain South Africa A in unofficial Tests had paid off.If du Plessis could make the transition so easily, Elgar must have thought as he sat on the sidelines in Adelaide, then surely I do the same? Elgar’s first-class record has been consistently better than du Plessis over the last three seasons and he has played more matches. Over the last three seasons Elgar averaged 50.11 in franchise cricket in 32 matches (not accounting for other matches for teams like South Africa A) while du Plessis played half that number and averaged 40.47.They both played in the June matches against Sri Lanka A and both contributed heavily to South Africa’s victory. Elgar top-scored with 171, du Plessis made 144. Given Elgar’s form in first-class cricket, it was thought he would be picked for South Africa in the longer format first but instead he was chosen to play in the one-day series against Sri Lanka. Du Plessis was already in the set-up at limited-overs level.Before any cricket began, Elgar sustained a serious knee injury that kept him out of cricket for the rest of the summer. Du Plessis went on to score an important 72 in South Africa’s win in Bloemfontein and their paths went in opposite ways. Du Plessis was picked as a replacement in England, Elgar was part of the one-day set up where he fared modestly and both were taken to Australia knowing they would only be called into action if something happened to JP Duminy or Jacques Rudolph.That something happened first for du Plessis when he took the place of the injured Duminy and he made everything of it. Something also happened when Rudolph’s rope ran out and Elgar was inserted into his spot. The difference was that Elgar did not look comfortable at all.His pair alone did not suggest that. Many rightly pointed out that Graham Gooch and Marvan Atapattu were among the batsmen to have gone run-less in their first Test and built impressive careers after that. Elgar could simply have got unlucky but he did not.He was worked over by Mitchell Johnson on that Test debut in Perth. The left-armer started with bouncers in the first innings, hurrying Elgar into shots as he searched desperately for his first Test run. Then, Johnson began to pitch them up and just when everyone but Elgar was expecting a short ball, Johnson delivered one and he was caught off the glove, hooking.It took Johnson even fewer balls to get the same result in the second innings when he followed up three bouncers with a length ball and Elgar padded up to it. For a batsman who had handled bounce around South Africa for years to have been so conclusively rattled by it was surprising. Welcome, international cricket said to Elgar, you’ve fallen into the gap.Gary Kirsten’s way is to give players sufficient chances and Elgar was informed he would keep his place for the less challenging task of facing the New Zealand attack. Even then, in the first Test in Cape Town, Elgar did not look like he fitted in.Coming in after a century from Alviro Petersen and 60s from Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla, Elgar had a stable platform from which to launch. He scored a run off his first ball but still did not look entirely sure of himself. His footwork was uncertain, his early drives nothing but tentative prods and he seemed to lack the confidence to play outside the off stump. He struggled to bring his bat down straight. Suddenly, despite a reputation for possessing one of the tightest techniques in South Africa, Elgar looked out of his depth.The early parts of his innings in Port Elizabeth were similar. He was nervous, drove loosely, pulled uncertainly. After three attempts at the shot, he got it right and controlled the ball well to the mid-wicket boundary. That was the first sign that Elgar could step up.As the innings progressed, Elgar straightened his bat and began to time the ball well, especially on the drive. He displayed some patience and much skill, living up to his classy domestic reputation. Bearing in mind that Elgar is usually an opening batsman, adjusting to the lower middle order was perhaps always going to take some extra time. By his own admission, he had to develop an understanding of how to handle batting with the bowlers.But he had them to thank for being able to get to his first Test hundred. Despite wanting to declare at tea, Graeme Smith sent out the lower order to allow Elgar to bring up the milestone and it was not a gratuitous concession. Although cricket remains a team game, with the amount of time left in the game to leave Elgar nine short would have denied him the opportunity of a confidence booster.Now, a Test hundred to his name, he feels as though he has done something to prove he has a Test career ahead of him. Du Plessis’ phenomenal rise will always serve as a reminder that some people were just born to play Test cricket but it’s the lesson Elgar teaches that is more notable. Most players do not learn to bat and bowl before they learn to crawl, walk, talk, scrape their knees and fail on the way to success. Elgar has walked that road now. And it is still only his third Test.

Plays of the Day from the third day of the second Test between India and Australia in Hyderabad.

Brydon Coverdale04-Mar-2013Mystery review of the day
Every day of this non-DRS Test has provided an umpire review of a catch. But none was as baffling as the one that ended Sachin Tendulkar’s innings on seven. James Pattinson bowled down the leg side and appealed confidently for a caught-behind. The standing umpire Marais Erasmus appeared at first to rule it not out. After further enquiry from Pattinson, Erasmus seemed to have a change of heart. He consulted the square-leg umpire and sent the decision upstairs. Under ICC playing conditions, Erasmus could only do this to check that the catch carried, meaning he was convinced Tendulkar had edged the ball, despite him initially appearing to make a not-out judgment. The third umpire checked the replay and confirmed that the ball had carried to Matthew Wade, but also spent a long while looking at ball passing bat. It appeared Tendulkar had edged the ball – later backed up by Snicko, which the umpires cannot use – and he was given out. The right decision was made, but it felt like the umpires had exploited a loophole in the system to reach it.On-field catch of the day
Ed Cowan hasn’t taken everything that has come his way in this series but he snaffled a ripping catch at backward short-leg to get rid of Virat Kohli. Glenn Maxwell got one to dip and turn and Kohli came at him, trying to clip the ball towards leg. It looked set to fly past Cowan until he thrust his left hand out and snared a terrific catch that brought Maxwell his fourth wicket and Australia their ninth.Off-field catch of the day
When David Warner came down the wicket to R Ashwin and lofted him over long-on, it was always going to be a crowd catch for somebody. But who should be in position to take it? None other than Merv Hughes, the former fast bowler and a national selector until 2010, who is in India leading an Australian tour group. Hughes took the catch easily and lobbed it back onto the field. The TV cameras soon returned to Hughes and his Test tally of 23 catches flashed up on the screen. It didn’t tick over to 24.Three of the day
In an innings of 503 it seems remarkable that that there would be only one occasion when the batsmen ran through for three off the bat. But while the Indians scored 106 singles, 38 twos, 69 fours and four sixes, the only three came when MS Dhoni flicked the ball wide of square leg off the bowling of Peter Siddle.

A young team will have to put the contracts crisis behind it and look to secure Sri Lanka’s future

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle07-Mar-2013When Angelo Mathews accepted the Test and ODI captaincy three weeks ago, he spoke of the joy he felt at his appointment and the exciting possibilities he envisioned for a team attempting regeneration. If there was any naivety in Mathews’ reckoning of what it would be like to captain Sri Lanka then, it will have been slammed out of him by what transpired in the past week. Before he has even had one Test at the helm, he has been put through the fire of a board lock-out, and had his tact and loyalties examined thoroughly.It would be a difficult episode for even the most seasoned leader to see his side through, but for Mathews it is a monumental task. Less than a week after essentially having their status as national cricketers stripped from them and being cornered into signing away a chunk of their earnings, his men now must to gird themselves and begin a full tour.Among several compounding factors for Mathews is the inexperience of his team. A new selection panel has brought a fervent focus on youth, and as a result, Sri Lanka’s top seven will have to field at least four batsmen who have played fewer than ten Tests. Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan may have developed the ability to empty their heads of events even as disruptive as the contracts crisis when they are at the crease, but the younger crop is more likely to be psychologically susceptible. Sri Lanka are lucky it is not one of the more verbal teams in cricket who are touring, because as far as sledging goes, there is plenty of powder to pack into cannons at present. Mathews will miss the wisdom of Mahela Jayawardene too, who is not with the squad, as he navigates his first assignment.There is also less room for error now in this series. For months forces within SLC had worked to portray the players as pampered and indisciplined, and last weekend’s events have only helped to advance those sentiments among many in the public. Lasith Malinga’s impolite interactions with media have not helped endear players to fans either. Mathews must know now that his side is only one loss to Bangladesh away from the scathing criticism from some turning into widespread vitriol. It is not difficult to see that what once shaped as a straightforward series for the hosts has now become a minefield with consequences both in and away from the cricket itself.It is a pity that the pay dispute has overshadowed the build-up to the tour, because in many ways, this series is a new dawn for Sri Lanka. Not only has a new leadership group been identified and appointed, for first time in years the hype does not revolve around the senior players in the side. In the team’s last Test in Sydney, the three batsmen under 25 played excellent innings, and as a result, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne are all set for long stints in the top Test XI, as long as they can score heavily enough to justify their places.More talent waits beyond the youngsters who have already tasted international cricket. Kithuruwan Vithanage has given himself a chance of being picked for the Tests with his 168 not out from 165 balls against a full-strength Bangladesh attack in the Matara tour match. Tharindu Kaushal is the latest outrageous spin talent in the country, having reaped six five-wicket hauls in five first-class matches in his debut season so far. The selectors have already suggested that others like middle-order batsman Angelo Perera, who has scored quickly and heavily for several seasons now, may be in line to earn a place during the limited-overs leg.Though uncertainty might define the approach to the series for Mathews, he still has potential trump cards in hand as well. Sangakkara is returning from injury, but after a dismal series against New Zealand and a frustratingly brief one against Australia, he is unlikely to want anything less than thorough success, and if his monstrous home record against Bangladesh is anything to go by, the visitors may be in for wearisome stints in the field. Bangladesh batsmen may have been weaned on left-arm spin at home, but playing Rangana Herath in Galle has been a test few batsmen have convincingly passed in recent years, and even in their current state, Sri Lanka will be distraught if they do not walk out of their favourite venue with a handy win.Before the contracts crisis broke open, Mathews had reiterated in the press that Bangladesh is not an opponent his team can take lightly. There is suddenly much more on the line now, and for a bold, new Sri Lanka, it is a series through which they must assure themselves, and the public, that all is well, and the future is secure.

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013

Virender Sehwag, not for the first time in his extravagant career, stands on the cusp of history. To break Brian Lara’s Test innings record, the Delhi Devastator needs another 117 runs – equating to approximately 23 minutes’ batting at his standard scoring rate.I speculated in my first World Cricket Podcast exactly what bowlers must feel when attempting to combat Sehwag on a good batting pitch. Suffice it to say that if this innings continues long into day three, the International Court of Human Rights may become involved, and the phenomenal Indian opener may find himself charged with crimes against bowling humanity.For all the splendour Sehwag has once again given to the cricket-watching world, all record of this innings must be surreptitiously destroyed. What if impressionable young bowlers were to stumble upon evidence of the kind of abuse they may endure? What right-thinking parent would want their precious little baby bowler to grow up in such a heartless universe? Even bowling machines might refuse to bowl.How cricket has changed. As a schoolboy, I was an opening batsman. Not a good opening batsman but an opening batsman nonetheless. And, more importantly, an excruciatingly tedious one. I viewed it as my specific responsibility not to score runs, and to not score them over as long a period as possible.Steve Waugh used to talk of the “mental disintegration” of opponents. My approach to this task was to block full-tosses, leave wide half-volleys and pad up to long-hops until the opposition bowlers and fielders were on the verge of either tears or retirement. Sehwag embodies everything I could not even have imagined being possible as an opener.In fact, cricketing orthodoxy at the time was such that a boy was expelled from my school for scoring a run-a-ball 50, bringing disgrace to the school’s proud cricketing tradition with his morally wanton strokeplay. That story is not true, but it might as well have been, so it’s staying in the blog. No arguments.Sehwag may well break Lara’s record, but Angelo Mathews has already claimed his place in the record books, with the narrowest failure to score a century in Test history. Mathews was run out by approximately half a millimetre, after an agonising delay as the third umpire subjected the video footage to more intensive scrutiny than any piece of film since the JFK assassination.Being out for 99 is a strange form of personal sporting failure − you have basically succeeded, but the moment of disappointment is all the greater than if you had in fact properly failed. And being run out for 99 adds a piquant element of avoidable silliness to the failure.Mike Atherton suffered this partially abominable fate at Lord’s in 1993, when, turning for a seemingly simple third run, he was sent back by Mike Gatting, who had been temporarily transfixed by a supernatural vision of the world’s largest banoffee pie. Atherton slipped, Ian Healy Australianly whipped the bails off, and Gatting licked his lips, mumbling, “I have seen the future. And it’s covered in toffee and bananas.”Steve Waugh became an associate member of the Missing Out On A Test Century Due To Between-The-Wickets Incompetence in spectacular fashion, in the Perth Ashes Test of 1994-95. Twin brother Mark was acting as runner for Craig McDermott, went for an imbecilic single, ran himself/McDermott out, and left Steve one run short of another scrawling on another honours board. What were the brothers thinking to each other as they trudged off? The official Confectionery Stall guess is as follows:Mark: “That’ll teach you to make your Test debut four years before me.”
Steve: “Looks like I’ll be forgetting your birthday this year. I don’t care how easy it should be for me to remember it.”
Mark: “You’ve got to admit, it was objectively the funniest run-out in cricket history.”
Steve: “I’m going to tell Mum. You’re in trouble. I want my teddy.”
Mathews’ dismissal was the 67th time a batsman has been out for 99 in Test cricket, and the 14th time one has missed out on three-figure glory by virtue of being run out. Fourteen out of 67 – this is an extraordinary ratio, which illustrated the madness that can envelop the human soul when the tastily steaming baguette of personal triumph is within nibbling distance. Also, 20.9% of batsmen out for 99 have been run out – yet of the 59,237 Test dismissals that had occurred as of 5pm GMT on December 3, 2009, only 3.5% have been run-outs.Batsmen on 99 are thus six times more likely to run themselves out (or, perhaps, have a sadistic team-mate run them out), than batsmen who aren’t already mentally picturing charging around with their arms in the air, kissing their helmets, waving their bats at any available camera, and cuddling the non-striking batsman.There are statistics and there are statistics. And this statistic reveals the inherent nature of the human condition, and the potentially fatal pitfalls of personal ambition, as much as any play by Shakespeare. Arguably. Expect it to be on all school curriculums around the cricket-speaking world within months.

From Apoorv Tiwari, India

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
The growing number of Twenty20 matches means a Dravid masterclass becomes less frequent•AFPCricket has been endearing to me for a variety of reasons, its successful accommodation of two different formats for over 42 years now not being the least of them. But the introduction and subsequent success of the latest, brashest, most precipitate form of cricket, particularly the IPL, has thrown up a unique conundrum for the cricket enthusiast. We have always been comfortable with our favourite cricketers, based on our own interpretation of the game and who makes it the most watchable for us. Let’s face it, our likes and dislikes are almost invariably based on what we see, rather than statistics and numbers thrown at us every day. But when the consistency in what we watch continues to diminish in the name of variety, would we still be able to able to sustain an unwavering allegiance to players we like and dislike?Consider for example, a Rahul Dravid fan. Someone who admires the temperament, tenacity, and doggedness that Dravid brings to the crease. If suddenly, the same fan watches his favourite player batting as though he were trying to cement his place in a Twenty20 team, while the Pollards and Pathans make merry around him, would that not force the fan to think? There will, of course, be people talking about how the Pollards are mere flashes in the pan, and that consistency of performance counts for more than anything else in sport. But the fan is, at the end of the day, a cricket watcher. What he sees over four IPL seasons and a million matches is his favourite player coming to terms with a format that certain other players seem inherently comfortable with. And with more Twenty20 being dished up at the expense of the other formats, a Yusuf Pathan cameo would definitely be more frequent than a Dravid masterclass.The resilience of a cricket fan is unquestionable, and therefore no amount of T20 cricket at the expense of Tests can permanently disillusion him from following the game. But a very important component of fans’ loyalties comes from admiring individual players within their teams, and in case of the IPL, team loyalties often follow player loyalties, instead of it being the other way round. For example, someone would want Rajasthan Royals to win, because Dravid plays for them. But how long can he or she remain an exclusive Dravid fan, when seeing him being outscored by obscure young men like Paul Valthaty season after season in the IPL?They say the greatness of true greats would always transcend trifling variables such as pitch, conditions, match situation and the like, and we’ve come to believe this. But now, game format is a variable that evidently seems to contradict this assertion. Dravid would undoubtedly be remembered as one of India’s greatest cricketers, and the purpose of the IPL is apparently being best served if lesser known cricketers make their presence felt. But for someone like me, who is a fan of Dravid among other Indian greats, it is painful to see these stars clear the sky for lesser mortals to shine.

The quiet confidence Ryan Harris exudes now is a result of the time he has been able to spend around the Queensland squad.

Daniel Brettig21-Mar-2013A few months ago, still waylaid by shoulder surgery, Ryan Harris was unable to say for sure whether or not he would be able to bowl effectively again. Even accounting for the fact that Harris is typically pessimistic and perfectionist about his art, his doubts were real. A few false starts in January did not help, and even when he did return to the bowling crease for Queensland in a limited-overs match at the MCG, he was blowing hard within a couple of overs.Gradually, however, Harris has regained his former verve. The limited-overs final, also against Victoria, showed his capacity for the striking spell. A first Sheffield Shield appearance against Tasmania reaped wickets if not consistency. He pulled it all together last week against Western Australia in Perth, plucking eight wickets and making critical runs to help the Bulls achieve the win they required to elbow into the final. Now he is in Hobart, limbering up for the competition decider – another wholehearted performance and the Ashes will hove into view.”It’s crucial for me to keep bowling now,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “I bowled a couple of near to 10-over spells in Perth so it’s getting better and better. There’s still some more improvement left, but from that day in Melbourne when I came back I’ve definitely improved. The more I bowl the fitter I get. I’m back to about 75-80%. I’ve narrowed that down from the first game I played. To get back to Test cricket those bad balls have to be almost none per over. So it’s crucial I get back to putting it consistently in the right spot.”Among the country’s best judges of “the right spot” may be found in Tasmania’s batting line-up. Not only does it contain Ricky Ponting, the senior statesman of Australian batting, but also Alex Doolan, George Bailey and Tim Paine. The opening pair of Jordan Silk and Mark Cosgrove has quickly established a reassuringly stable union. As a former club and state teammate of Harris in Adelaide, Cosgrove has battled Harris as often in the nets as in the middle. Whether it be friendly chatter after play, or edgier banter in the middle, there will be plenty of feedback on offer for Harris.”[The final] is going to give me a good test as to where I’m at and give me a good gauge,” Harris said. “I’ll speak to Ricky after the game and get a bit of feedback from him, which he’s always pretty happy to give. That’s a good thing about it, to hear from the batsman’s point of view about how it’s hitting the bat and how it’s going past them.”I’m not worrying about whether I’m going to play or not. I want to play, but it’s out of my control. All I can do is make sure I’m back to being consistent and at the standard I need to be at to go and play Test cricket. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, I know the more I bowl the better I get.”The quiet confidence Harris exudes now is a direct result of the time he has been able to spend around the Bulls’ squad since his return to the crease. Their culture of attacking cricket, mutual responsibility but also plenty of fun is widely admired, and not dissimilar to Tasmania’s. In two seasons under the leadership duo of the captain James Hopes and the coach Darren Lehmann, Queensland have won every trophy on offer.Those looking for a symbol of the triumph for the collective over the individual did not need to look far this week, when Bulls and Brisbane Heat players were absent from every domestic team of the year. This drew outrage from some quarters, but quiet satisfaction from others.”We’ve got really good players and everyone chips in a long the way but we haven’t really had your superstar players that some of the other teams have had,” Harris said. “If it’s not me taking wickets or playing it’s someone else coming in, whether it’s Ben Cutting or Cameron Gannon or Ali McDermott or Luke Feldman or Matthew Gale. Everyone chips in.”Pete Forrest has had a disappointing year but now Joe Burns has stepped up to an extent, and Chris Hartley and Hopesy. Everyone chipping in at the right time. Not that other teams don’t do that but we seem to do it more often. The feeling amongst the group is unbelievable and it has been since I arrived in Queensland but probably more so since Darren’s taken over. He gives guys the belief they can go out and play their way. There are guys who’ve struggled who in most states probably wouldn’t be in the team at this time of the year but he’s backing them.”Something Queensland and Tasmania also share is an ideal blend of youthful players and more seasoned stagers. Their balance is of the kind that Australia benefited from in the first 18 months of Michael Clarke’s captaincy, but that the retirements of Ponting and Michael Hussey has now made damagingly elusive in India. Harris is mindful of the issue as he thinks increasingly of an international return.”You’ve lost two very senior guys with Hussey and Ponting gone over the summer. It’s a very hard thing to replace,” he said. “Those guys are leading the team, they’re around guys at night having dinner with them and talking about cricket or about life and just getting to know them. It’s a big thing to lose out of a team. I’m sure if we lost myself, James Hopes and Chris Hartley all at once this team may struggle for direction and performance.”You take that out of any state, like [David] Hussey, Cameron White and Chris Rogers out of Victoria and they’d struggle. That’s why I hope [Michael] Hussey and Ponting go around again next year because it’s not just the guys who play with them but the guys who play against them learn so much as well. In our game you can’t buy experience, talking to experienced guys and learning the game – we don’t have enough of it. Grade cricket’s suffered because they don’t have enough old guys and hopefully state cricket won’t just yet because those guys hang around.”

Plays from the first day of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Harare

Firdose Moonda in Harare17-Apr-2013Drop of the day
Timycen Maruma must have been nervous. Not only was he making his Test debut, he was required to do it out of position. Usually a middle-order man, he was asked to front up first. After defending the first five balls of the opening over, he fished for a short, wide one and got a thick edge to first slip. Luckily for him, Shahriar Nafees was more anxious and spilled a simple chance. Zimbabwe did not have a run on the board then and the dropped catch would have come as a relief.Ball of the day
Robiul Islam got good movement in the first hour and troubled the openers regularly. At the start of his fifth over, he hit yorker length perfectly and Sibanda was a fraction of a second late in getting his bat down to defend. It was good enough for the ball to sneak through and uproot middle stump, which cartwheeled behind him in perfect sync with Robiul’s round-arm action.Chance of the day
Bangladesh had plenty of opportunities to dismiss the Zimbabwe batsmen, but the one they would have rued the most was Brendan Taylor’s chance. As frustration built in the afternoon session, the Zimbabwe captain lashed out. In the 50th over, Taylor stepped out against Enamul Haque jnr and lofted him over long-off. Nafees did well to cover ground and stretch out but he could not hold on. Taylor was on 35 at the time and Zimbabwe did not even have 100 on the board.Crawl of the day
For the most part, it was the scoring rate but there was a literal instance too. When Malcom Waller drove the ball off Robiul Islam and called for a run, he didn’t get as much on it as he expected. Taylor responded from the non-striker’s end but Waller could soon see the risk was too great. He sent Taylor back and as the captain turned, he fell over his own feet and landed on all fours. With the Bangladesh fielders closing in, Taylor had to make quick ground and crawled his way back into the crease to ensure there was no chance of a run-out.Guest of the day
Despite it being school holidays, very few people turned up to watch the first day’s play but there was someone notable in attendance. Zimbabwe’s new coach Andy Waller, who has yet to be unveiled by Zimbabwe Cricket, was at the Maiden pub to see his future team and his son, Malcolm, battle their way through a testing day.Celebration of the day
At the start of the series, it looked as though Zimbabwe had little to celebrate. But, they had an occasion to do so by the end of the first day. Taylor reached his third Test century and the Harare Sports Club erupted. While he punched the air, the spectators rose to their feet. Everyone from the players in the dressing room to the officials in the president’s suite, often at loggerheads with each other, and the regulars in the Maiden pub applauded. Taylor soaked it in for as long as he could with raised arms and, finally, a smile.

Things didn’t go to plan for the English today. Including for this writer, who forgot to bring sunscreen and burnt his nose

Nick Robbins03-Aug-2013Choice of game
When the Ashes tickets were put on sale, I leapt at the chance to pay an inaugural visit to Old Trafford. With the millions spent on the extensive new development, and the lack of opportunity to sample an Ashes Test at my nearest venue, Edgbaston – and I’ll echo Andy Bloxham’s view that it is shocking that Birmingham was overlooked for this Ashes – I decided to head north. I had hoped the game would be nicely poised for my arrival on the second day, but instead England were up against it. I optimistically predicted that England could skittle out Australia for under 450 and begin their reply from the afternoon session.Team supported
England all the way. However the purist in me had to admire Michael Clarke’s batting. I realised I wouldn’t have been too disappointed if I was able to applaud his double ton.Key performer
Graeme Swann. There are perfectly valid reasons for picking Clarke, Mitchell Starc or even Peter Siddle, but Swann edges it for me. His five scalps on a wicket that is unusually conducive to spin in the first innings kept most of the Australian batsmen honest. But the real reason is that when Alastair Cook seemed content to let the game drift and wait for Clarke to wave his batsmen in, Swann was the only bowler who voiced the crowd’s frustration – gesturing to his captain that the fields he was bowling to were wholly ineffectual.One thing I’d have changed about the dayEngland’s plan in the afternoon session. It was like watching a team go through the motions. Joe Root wasn’t utilised well, the fields were uninspired and the atmosphere reflected this. If England had shown up after lunch with slightly more intensity, things might have gone differently. I also forgot to take any sunscreen and burnt my nose, so I’d probably change that given the choice.The interplay you enjoyed
Though David Gower might not agree with it, David Warner’s reception as he came to the crease was fantastic. This wasn’t England fans disrespectfully booing Ricky Ponting, this was a pantomime villain being given his antihero’s welcome. His wry smile said it all as he bounded down the steps of the new pavilion.Wow moment
Starc hit some gorgeous shots, and Clarke’s three consecutive boundaries off Tim Bresnan stick in the mind, but it was the standing ovation Clarke received after his dismissal that made me go ‘wow’. The entire stadium stood to appreciate one of the best innings by an Australian captain in England, and easily one of the most important innings of that man’s career.Player watch
Credit must go to Jonny Bairstow today. With the crowd nervous, restless and quiet for the first hour or so, they suddently erupted when Bairstow steadied himself under Steve Smith’s mistimed sweep. With the ball lodged firmly in his hand, he turned round to the huge temporary stand and pumped his fists. Suddenly the crowd was in the game, if only briefly, before England’s soporific performance did its best to silence even the most vociferous of fans.Shot of the day
When Alastair Cook turned a ball off his pads from Nathan Lyon it broke a drought that had spanned nearly five overs. After watching Australia’s lower order look like they were batting on a bit of the M6, watching England labour away in the evening took a fair amount of patience. That one run was rewarded with one of the loudest cheers of the day.Crowd meter
As expected after the first day’s proceedings, the crowd was initially quiet, though everyone assumed it needed one spark to bring them to life. Though Smith’s dismissal and Warner’s cameo provided this, the fire didn’t catch, and the flame whimpered out until the afternoon session, when an Aussie touring party and a gaggle of well-lubricated England fans began to engage in a back-and-forth sing-along session. It petered out as the security guards arrived to make sure it was all in good spirit, and quickly started again as soon as they turned their backs.Overall
Old Trafford was, in every way, fit for test match cricket, though accusations of a ‘corporate’ pitch may not be so easy to ignore if the pitch refuses to deteriorate as it did today. The atmosphere, however, was disappointing, though this can only reflect what is happening on the field. It didn’t go quite right for England today, and whether it’s England’s job to lift the crowd, or the crowd’s job to lift England, neither party can claim to have had a good day at the office.Marks out of 10
Six out of ten today. Must try harder tomorrow.

Azhar Mahmood is in the twlight of his career but still plays with the zest of youth as he travels the world for Twenty20

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Aug-2013After playing for 10 different domestic teams across eight different countries, in nine different competitions, it’s fair to say Azhar Mahmood has done a few laps of the Twenty20 circuit. But in the last throes of a career both impressive in its longevity and modest when you take into account his considerable talent, Mahmood is the freelancer with a difference.The format’s fourth highest wicket-taker, Mahmood is also the only Pakistani cricketer in the IPL by virtue of being a British citizen. So far, the exclusion of Pakistan players from the IPL has remained, despite India’s willingness to continue sporting relationships with their neighbours.Which makes Mahmood’s position all the more interesting; as officials and ex-players clamour for a more open competition, he is seen as one that has slipped through the net and can enjoy the rewards that come with partaking in Twenty20’s premier competition. But for a man thought to be in a position of comfort, he doesn’t sit easy.”The saddest thing is whenever I go to India, even when it was with the Pakistan side, people love us,” he reflects. “It’s such a great environment and there are so many similarities to back home that should unite us.””I love Chandigarh – it reminds me a lot of Islamabad, it’s a similar sort of city and one of the many in India that would love to have players from Pakistan representing their franchises. But don’t get me wrong, Islamabad definitely has the better food, no doubt about that. Then again, I suppose it helps when I know all the places to go.”South London must hold a similar familiarity, having spent five seasons playing his cricket at The Oval between 2002 and 2007, before a return for this year’s FLt20 as a non-overseas player. While Glen Maxwell didn’t quite tick, and the participation Ricky Ponting and Kevin O’Brien ending with the start of the Caribbean Twenty20, Mahmood adopts the crown of marquee player – one that may not shine as brightly, but still suits him well.His performance of 13 wickets with the ball has eclipsed his exploits with the bat (138 runs at an average of 19), and there is a sense he feels that he hasn’t done himself justice. The stats support his ruefulness; in the last two years he has 17 scores of fifty or more, primarily, from batting in the top four.”I think for any batsman, it’s the best place to bat,” he says. “For me, most of my runs have come at No 3. It gives you more overs to get yourself in so you can prolong your inning – if I start slowly I know I can make up for the dot balls with some boundaries. But my role at Surrey is to bat down the order and take the new ball, so it makes sense, especially if we are chasing and I might have to go straight away from bowling at the death to batting. I sweat a lot so I need time to towel myself down.”

My role at Surrey is to bat down the order and take the new ball, so it makes sense, especially if we are chasing and I might have to go straight away from bowling at the death to batting

Mahmood’s best return as a Twenty20 batsmen came in a 2011 summer with Kent, where he flourished as a loose fixture in their order to score 485 runs – including one of his two hundreds. His second came as an opener in the 2011-12 season for Auckland in New Zealand’s domestic HRV Cup. Forging an at times barbaric partnership with Martin Guptill, he settled into a groove, averaging just over 41. Opening in England is, as of yet, an uncrossed bridge and for good, if rather peculiar reason.”I wouldn’t like to open now because the handshakes at the beginning of every match mean that you’re in a rush if you’re batting first. I like to chill out and have five or ten minutes to just sit down. I don’t have any routines, but I don’t want to be rushing to finish putting all my kit on after saying ‘hello’ to the opposition!”There’ll be no need for such formal pleasantries with Somerset rival and former Rawalpindi and, later, Kent team-mate Yasir Arafat on Tuesday. As well as sharing a few shirts, they are also the only two players with 200 wickets and 1,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket, though Arafat stands alone as the highest wicket taker in England’s Twenty20 history (closely followed by Mahmood).For years, Arafat has displayed a level of performance that few others have matched in the game’s 10 years. His death bowling, which has contributed to his 19 wickets in this campaign, remains as precise as ever – “Oh, my death bowling’s better,” laughs Mahmood – and will certainly cause Surrey problems. Mahmood has taken the time to inform his team-mates about what to expect, as well as running through some plans to combat his lethal yorkers. But even as opponents, there will be very little malice in this quarter-final showdown.”I think of him as a younger brother,” says Mahmood. “He’s a very nice, down to earth guy. I called him after his 4 for 5 against Warwickshire and congratulated him. There have been times where he has had a couple of issues with his bowling and we’ve talked and I’ve tried to help me as much as I can. But he doesn’t need much help from me – he’s a quality bowler.”There is a real charm to Mahmood; his smile on the pitch seems unweathered by the years. His hair still boosted by the boyish curls he sported when he first played in England as part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad in 1999. International cricket may be over for him, but his interest and association is anything but.A keen watcher from afar, he maintains solid friendships within the team. Last week he was spent time with Pakistan’s current bowling coach and ex-Surrey paceman Mohammad Akram, championing his work with the latest pool of fast bowlers. “There are more coming,” he warns.Any thoughts of a similar career path are met with a few caveats and one, specific, rebuttal.”I don’t think I could ever be a head coach, that’s for sure. I just don’t have the temperament. And I know how much you need – I’ve been in Pakistan dressing rooms! A head coach needs to know how to deal with each individual and get the best out of them. It’s not something for everyone. I wouldn’t mind a specific role but, for now, I feel I still have time left in me.”I enjoy playing far too much.”It shows.